This being Saudi Arabia, there are of course several caveats: Women on bicycles must wear the full-body abaya, be accompanied by a male relative, and restrict their two-wheeled gallivanting to recreational areas.

Still, could cycling help increase women's mobility in a country notorious for its restrictions that forbid women to drive?

Not so fast, says the unnamed official who spoke to Al-Yawm. Saudi women may only use bicycles for fun — not for transportation.

Top image: A Saudi woman rides her Harley-Davidson motorcycle in Beirut. Jamal Saidi/Reuters.